Robert Downey Jr., 'Iron Man'

Robert Downey Jr., 'Iron Man'

Zade Rosenthal / AP / Marvel Entertainment

"They got some really nice hero shots of the character standing there looking boss in the suits, but when the action started, Robert and the stuntmen's movements were really restricted," says Industrial Light & Magic's animation supervisor Hal Hickel (the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy). "We wanted Iron Man to move like a superhero, so we animated that action when necessary." Downey soon realized he didn't have to wear the cumbersome Iron Man costume at all. "There were scenes where the action could've been done in the practical suit," Hickel says, "but Robert preferred to wear the motion-capture suit," using the iMocap system ILM devised to transform actor Bill Nighy into Davy Jones for "Pirates."

"They got some really nice hero shots of the character standing there looking boss in the suits, but when the action started, Robert and the stuntmen's movements were really restricted," says Industrial Light & Magic's animation supervisor Hal Hickel (the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy). "We wanted Iron Man to move like a superhero, so we animated that action when necessary." Downey soon realized he didn't have to wear the cumbersome Iron Man costume at all. "There were scenes where the action could've been done in the practical suit," Hickel says, "but Robert preferred to wear the motion-capture suit," using the iMocap system ILM devised to transform actor Bill Nighy into Davy Jones for "Pirates." (Zade Rosenthal / AP / Marvel Entertainment)

"They got some really nice hero shots of the character standing there looking boss in the suits, but when the action started, Robert and the stuntmen's movements were really restricted," says Industrial Light & Magic's animation supervisor Hal Hickel (the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy). "We wanted Iron Man to move like a superhero, so we animated that action when necessary." Downey soon realized he didn't have to wear the cumbersome Iron Man costume at all. "There were scenes where the action could've been done in the practical suit," Hickel says, "but Robert preferred to wear the motion-capture suit," using the iMocap system ILM devised to transform actor Bill Nighy into Davy Jones for "Pirates."